


Breaking a rule helps us learn

by Imperfect_Apollo



Series: News clippings [12]
Category: Newsies - All Media Types
Genre: Thought I'd try it out honestly, baby Romeo - Freeform, let me know, mute!Romeo, please please please, so if I did anything wrong, these two are brothers and you can NOT tell me otherwise, this is the first time I've tried it out (that I can remember)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:35:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26060509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imperfect_Apollo/pseuds/Imperfect_Apollo
Summary: He knew going through his brother's things were wrong but to a curious eight-year-old, the danger of being scolded was nothing to the nagging feeling of wanting to know.Prompt: I could tell it was your favorite book because of all the notes you wrote in the margins.
Series: News clippings [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652554
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Breaking a rule helps us learn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dancerlittle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancerlittle/gifts).



> Book: Unicorns? Get Real! by Kathryn Lasky.
> 
>   
> Okay. So I know the book seems like an odd choice but hear me out. The original story was going to be The Secret Garden but then I went into one of my drawers to grab a stress ball (I call the drawer my ‘Stress/anxiety drawer’) and found the book, hitting me with a bunch of flashbacks considering it had been one of my favorite books when I was younger.

He knew going through his brother's things were wrong but to a curious eight-year-old, the danger of being scolded was nothing to the nagging feeling of wanting to know...Besides, he was sure he had left Cinnabun in Jack's room and he really wanted the stuffed toy in his arms right now. 

Romeo bit his lip, carefully opening the door. He knew that Jack was out for a few hours, so he had a while to look for his rabbit before getting out of there. However, part of him also wanted to explore the room of the boy he looked up to oh so much. 

The smell of paint greeted the boy as he quietly slipped into the room, leaving the door behind him open just a crack. He took a small shaky step into the room.

Still, the colors mixed on white backgrounds drew him forward. Jack rarely liked to show off his art which no one seemed to understand. The only idea Romeo could come up with would be insecurity. He never understood because the few pieces he had seen looked like they should be hung in a museum! Though, maybe he was just biased because Jack was his older brother.

His eyes ran over the piece in front of him, multiple brush strokes mixing just the right shades of color to make a beautiful landscape of the Brooklyn Bridge. If he focused hard enough, Romeo could feel the wind blowing through his hair as the noises of the water flowing under him filled his ears along with the sounds of the traffic, conversations fading in and out as people walked past in a steady flow. 

Shaking his head, the young boy found himself back in Jack's room, the feeling of cold wood under a small paint-splattered tarp bleeding through his socks. Finally, he drew himself away from the artwork, stepping back onto the carpet, toes twitching slightly at the sudden change in texture. 

The young boy scanned the room, noticing the small patchwork bunny resting on Jack's bed, right where he had left it that morning. A bright grinned stretched across his face as he found himself running over, launching himself onto the bed so he could grab the old toy, hugging her tight to his chest. It was one of the only things he had left from his biological mother and was something he wanted to keep with him at all times, even though he knew couldn't. 

Breathing in the familiar scent that reminded Romeo of safety, a calm aura surrounding him as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to relax for a few moments despite knowing the risk he was taking by being in a room he wasn't meant to be in.

When he woke up, he found himself alone in the room with no evidence that anyone else had entered the room. Well, other than Tubs, the family's aging fat cat who was now resting by Jack's bookshelf. 

Getting up, the child walked over to her, gently scratching her head with a sleepy grin, pausing to stretch as he finished waking up. He paused, noticing one book that had been tucked into the corner of one of the shelves as if it was being hidden from the world.

Biting his lip, Romeo crept to the bedroom door, peaking out only to find that the house was still, faint music coming from Race's room to let everyone know that he didn't want to be interrupted. 

Giving in to temptation, he turned around, silently darting towards the bookshelf, pulling out the old book. Judging by the worn-out cover and multiple tabs popping out from its pages, it was a well-loved book, making Romeo question why it had been hidden away from everyone's eyes. 

Running a hand through his messy hair, he looked over it. He hadn't heard of it before but something called _Unicorns? Get Real!_ didn't seem like something that Jack would enjoy. He would think that it was an old school book but he doubted that. All of Jack's primary school books ended up going to the younger kids, yet here was this random book, hidden away and judging by the way the tabs looked, it had been opened recently. Shaking his head, he looked over the blurb. 

Who can think about unicorns at a time like this? 

_When rumors of wild unicorns come to Camp Princess, there's a frenzy of excitement as the royal maidens prepare for the Unicorn Round-Up. But Princess Gundersnap has more important things to worry about. Her war-inclined mother has taken her beloved pony, Menschmik, into battle, and Gundersnap fears for his life. Besides, Gundersnap is much too practical to believe in unicorns. Or is she? Both the magical tapestry in the tower and her favorite local witch, Berwynna, seem to be trying to tell Gundersnap something. Could the Unicorn Round-Up be more than just a bunch of royal hooey?_

The mention of war confused Romeo. Due to his young age, he had never heard of war though he guessed it was a fight...But if it was a fight, why was the princess fearing for her pony's life? 

Shaking his head, he moved back to the bed, planning to read for a little before finally escaping the room. However, the second he made himself comfortable with his beloved rabbit in his lap, Tubs resting by his side, the door opened, revealing the body of his older brother causing them both to freeze as they made eye contact. 

Romeo knew that Jack would rather die than hurt any of his siblings but Romeo still feared his reaction. Privacy was meant to be respected yet here he was, breaking that simple rule by not only entering the room without permission but by taking something that didn't belong to him. 

The book dropped from his hands as Jack walked over to the shaking boy. Looking between his little brother and the fallen book, he sighed. "Ro...Whata you doing in my room?"

Shaky hands rose, Romeo ready to explain in the only way he could communicate. _"I'm sorry! I just wanted to get Cinnabun and accidentally fell asleep and then Tubs was by your bookshelf and I noticed the book and wanted to investigate! I'll leave now!"_

Jack sighed, carefully picking up the book before sitting beside the mute boy. "Take deep breaths for me kid okay? I'm not mad. You just need to ask next time okay?" He kissed the top of the boy's head after he nodded, glad to see his shaking was starting to settle.

He looked down at the book, running a finger over the image of a princess on top of a unicorn. Part of him was embarrassed by the fact he had kept the book for so long but one of his foster sisters had owned it and often read it to him before she passed away and Jack had been moved to a new family but he had hidden the book in his suitcase, wanting to keep a part of her with him. 

There was a reason he had hidden it away considering it would be a seen as a stereotypical 'girly' book. It brought back good memories that he didn't want to let go of. 

"Why this book?"

_"It was hidden and considering all the tabs, I wanted to see what it was..."_

Jack carefully picked up Romeo slightly before setting him in his lap. He hadn't read the book in a month or so and considering his brother now knew about it, he may as well take the time to read for it. 

The second he opened the book, the two were greeted with multiple small notes, listing pages with events, written in two different styles. Listed in even smaller handwriting was a key for each tab. 

Jack cleared his throat. "The princesses of the south turret." He slowly started to read, using different voices for each bio of the princesses so Romeo would be able to tell which princess was which. 

Each page's margin had been filled with small notes, tabs labelled with scene names. Memories flooded the teen as he read. He didn't notice Romeo had fallen asleep until he had closed the book. 

Carefully tucking him into bed, Jack silently moved towards where he kept his art supplies, an idea having popped into his mind as he read. 

Allowing his hand to guide him, he smiled as he watched a drawing come to life. Losing himself in his art, he didn't notice time flying by until soft footsteps approached him. 

Jack looked up, smiling softly at the sleepy boy. "Hey." He set aside his sketchbook, carefully putting down his watercolours. 

Romeo paused as he noticed a familiar figure on top of a unicorn. A shy smile spread across his face. _"Is that me?"_

"Sure is kid." He smiled, patting the ground. After the small boy sat down, he wrapped an arm around him. "Ain't done yet but once it is, I'll give it ta you okay?" 

_"Can I ask you a question?"_

"Go for it."

_"Is that book one of your favorites?"_

"It is. A few years ago, it was my favorite. How'd ya know?" Jack hummed, looking at the book he had brought over with him. 

Romeo grinned as he snuggled into his older brother. _"I could tell it was your favorite book because of all the notes you wrote in the margins."_

**Author's Note:**

> Rember folks! Comments and kudos encourage me! I wanna know what you guys think about this! Also, if I've made a mistake anywhere, please let me know so I can edit it.


End file.
